Marcus Aurelius Meditations
Marcus Aurelius: Within ten days, if so happen, thou…
Within ten days, if so happen, thou shalt be esteemed a god of them, who now if thou shalt return to the dogmata and to the honouring of reason, will esteem of thee no better than of a mere brute, and of an ape.
The passage follows a public-domain translation of Meditations. The reading beside it is ours.
Public opinion changes faster than character. The same people who dismiss you today may praise you next week if you become useful, fashionable, or successful. That is exactly why their approval cannot be your compass. Marcus is not telling us to become contemptuous of people. He is telling us to stop renting out our self-respect to a crowd with a short memory. If you abandon your principles to avoid looking foolish, you may gain acceptance and lose something more important. Return to the standards you can defend in private: reason, courage, fairness, self-control. Today, notice one place where you are performing for an audience. Ask whether you would make the same choice if no one could applaud or criticize it. Let that answer guide you.
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